


Haze

by Chasyn



Category: Utopia Falls (TV Show)
Genre: Aliyah 5 bashing, Deaf Character, Don't Read This, Drabble, First In The Fandom, I don't hate her, It's confusing, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, No Plot/Plotless, Not Beta Read, Poor Tempo 3, She just annoys me, Tagging for the first is awful, The show is also confusing, Unless you've seen the show, no clue, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22823164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasyn/pseuds/Chasyn
Summary: Apollo bites his bottom lip. He wants to ask. But he doesn't want to ask. Because he honestly has no idea what the answer will be. Or what he wants the answer to be. But he asks anyways because he can't stop himself. "What do you want, Tempo?"
Relationships: Tempo 3/Apollo 5
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34





	Haze

**Author's Note:**

> I binged this show called Utopia Falls in 2 days. And then got all excited and looked for fanfic. There was 0. And then I found out the show was just released on Febuary 14th. XD It hasn't even been out a week! So... suddenly I'm writing this. And I keep going. And it really has no point or plot. I have no clue. But here you go! If anyone has seen this show. XD Also I don't have Aliyah. But I don't love her either. I love Tempo and Apollo. And totally think they need to be gay for each other. Also Sage and Brooklyn! Ugh!
> 
> Also, if anyone is interested in keeping me company while I type (or just pestering me on a daily basis), I have a Discord chat server.  
> <https://discord.gg/JGgeWp3>  
> Chas#0048

Apollo 5 sits in his room. In his _new_ room. A new room in Sage 5's house in Nature Section. Both of her Grans told him it's not safe for him to leave, that he needs to stay. It's not fancy and flashy, like the rooms for the Exemplar candidates. He's not one of them anymore. That's all over now. It might be all over for good. Apollo doesn't know. He doesn't even know the results. Brooklyn 2 and Mags 2 couldn't have won. That he could at least guess. Both will have been arrested. Maybe. He hopes not. He hopes they made it out. He hopes they all made it out to safety. To where, he's not even sure.

He just knows he didn't make it.

The vibrations stop, signaling the song has ended. Apollo shakes his head as he leans over the turntable. He breathes out a sigh as he grabs the tonearm and lifts the needle from the record. Then he grabs his tiny radio receiver and switches it off. He sets it down beside the turntable and leans back. There's no rebellion anymore, no reason to broadcast. Hell, he has no idea if there is anyone left to listen to him. Authority probably arrested everyone. He's probably alone.

He sighs again and closes his eyes. He feels the shift in the air a moment later and opens his eyes. There's a shadow across the desk and he lifts his head. Tempo 3 stands there, staring. He looks timid and nervous, moreso than Apollo has ever seen him in their lives. Scared, too. Moreso than that night they spent in The Archive, watching the videos of the past. Hours they had spent, watching the mistakes of the time before The Flash. The mistakes of the people in the past that ended the world. Tempo had argued at the time that the past should stay that way, _in the past_. But still, despite his own feelings and trepidations about The Archive, Tempo sat there with him. He listened to Apollo talk about _feeling_ the drumbeats he could hear then. Tempo didn't really understand it. He said it was just a simple drumbeat that more than one person could have made up. Apollo had pulled away and shaken his head, because Tempo didn't understand. Tempo had grabbed his hand and pulled him back and told him he'd listen. So Apollo went on, talking about how he _felt_ them, the drumbeats, in his heart and soul. He feels them, still, even if he can't hear them anymore, for more than one reason.

Apollo jumps up. He moves without thinking and throws his arms around his friend and hugs him tight. Tempo's hands are on his back and he tucks his chin against Apollo's neck and for just a moment, all is okay. Because Tempo is okay. He made it out safely. Apollo had been nervous about all his friends. He hadn't heard from any of them in hours. But Tempo... he had been the most reluctant about the rebellion, the most vocal about wanting things to go back to the way they were. Maybe it wasn't fair of them to put so much pressure on him. But in the end, Tempo had said he wanted to help, that he wanted to join them.

Apollo comes back to himself quickly, realizing just how intimately he's holding on. Pressed together so tightly that Apollo can feel the vibrations in Tempo's chest as his heart beats a bit too fast and he can feel the other man's breath against his neck. He detangles himself and steps back. He feels his face heat up and he promptly looks at the floor. He scratches at the back of his neck and clears his throat. "Sorry." He mumbles, feeling the vibrations in his own throat. "Glad you're okay."

Tempo opens his mouth and closes it. He does it several times in succession, all the while looking distraught.

Apollo lifts his wrist and glances down at his translator. But it doesn't vibrate and the display is blank. He frowns and looks back up at Tempo. "What?" He asks. Again, Tempo opens his mouth and again the display is blank when Apollo looks down at it. He glares at it in frustration. "It's not working." He says. "It must be broken." He breaths out and looks at Tempo. The doctor said in time he would learn to read lips. But now, he's at a loss. And he would give anything to hear Tempo's voice again. Just once more, for a few minutes, for a second!

Tempo opens his mouth again. But then he shakes his head almost dismissively and turns. He starts to leave and Apollo moves around him and cuts him off. He lifts his hand and presses it to Tempo's chest, stopping him. Tempo frowns and looks away.

Apollo pulls back and shrinks in on himself, thinking he's offended his lifelong friend. "Tempo... I..." He stutters and stops. He doesn't know what to say, he doesn't know what he's apologizing for. He has a crush. He has for years. But he'd never acted on it and he never would. There were a few times, over the years, he thought maybe there was something there, something that could lead somewhere. A touch, a smile, a look. But Tempo had always followed after Aliyah 5. Whatever she wanted, he did. Wherever she went, he followed. Like a lovesick puppy. All for a chance that she would like him back eventually. She hadn't and she wouldn't. She'd proved that. Proved that she'd just been toying with him, stringing him along. Promising him a chance she would never give him.

Maybe Apollo's a little bitter about her. He'd grown up with her as well. And she was okay. He would consider Aliyah a friend. Sort of. At least he didn't hate her. _All_ the time. Just _some_ times. Whenever she blew off Tempo and Apollo would see the look on his face... yeah. Maybe he hated her for a moment. Sometimes she was just so selfish! And she didn't exactly try to hide her attraction and interest in Bohdi 2, pretty much from the moment the two met when they were chosen for The Exemplar. And still, she kept stringing Tempo along! And it drove Apollo crazy! And Tempo, too. Clearly he'd gone crazy when he set fire to The Archive. And it tore him up when Bohdi got blamed for it. Tempo had tried to make it right and only gotten threatened by Authority Phydra.

Apollo shakes his head and looks away. He doesn't know what to say, because he doesn't know what Tempo is thinking and his stupid translator is broken. Then he feels the vibration. He looks at Tempo and sees his lips moving. Apollo looks down at his translator and sees the words.

_I don't know where to start._

Apollo's eyes widen and he looks up at Tempo. He smiles and lifts his wrist. "I thought it was broken! You weren't saying anything, were you?"

Tempo's eyebrows furrow for a moment and he tilts his head. Then his eyes widen and his lips twist into a slight smile as he answers. _No I wasn't, I didn't know what to say._

Apollo breaths out after reading those words. He looks back up at Tempo and smiles. "Man, I was so worried for a moment there. It was like I was back in the hospital room again, waking up with you standing over me and not being able to hear you at all... I mean..." Apollo rolls his eyes at himself and shakes his head. "I still can't hear you... but... you know what I mean... right? Uh..." He sighs. "I don't even know what I mean." He mumbles and looks away.

Tempo lets out a laugh that Apollo can feel, loud and rough and vibrating through the air around them. Then he shakes his head and breathes out. _I did it. I won the Exemplar. I'm the Cultural Ambassador. I won the seat on the Tribunal._ He pauses and shakes his head. _I mean, I won by default. Mags and Brooklyn were disqualified. I got them out of there before the Authority showed up but I have no clue if they got away or what happened or where everyone else is. I haven't seen or talked to them and I don't know what's going on but Authority Phydra... or is it Chancellor Phydra now? I heard Chancellor Diara was ghosted... but she... Authority Chancellor of whatever Phydra said... she said she's my mother and she abandoned me and left me and everything I've ever gotten in my life, she's been behind! That's why when I confessed about The Archive, she didn't release Bohdi and..._

Apollo's translator feels like it's going to vibrate off his wrist. His eyes widen as he tries to read and process it all. But the words flash across the screen so fast and he can only get about half of it. He lifts his hand and presses it to Tempo's chest. "Hold up." He says and looks up at him. "Breathe. You have to slow down for me. I can't keep up. Start over."

Tempo nods. He closes his eyes for a moment and breathes in deeply. Then he exhales and starts over. He speaks calmer and slower and pauses.

Apollo's eyes widen. "She's your mom? _Chancellor_ Phydra is your mom?"

Tempo nods and sighs. _It doesn't really change anything._

"Have you heard from Sage?" Apollo asks. "Or uh... Bohdi and Aliyah?"

Tempo shakes his head. _I haven't heard from any of them._

"Can you find out?" Apollo asks hopefully.

Tempo shrugs. _I don't think Phydra will honor the Tribunal seat. That was Chancellor Diara's doing._

Apollo nods his head slowly. "I hope someone made it out." He says. "Someone deserves a chance."

Tempo nods. _I hope Aliyah made it. She said she thinks her mother's still alive, living in New Lazarus._

Apollo rolls his eyes. Even after everything Aliyah put him through, Tempo still cares. She never deserved him. "She never deserved you." He doesn't mean to say it. He doesn't really even realize he's said it. It just comes out and by the time he does realize, it's too late. Tempo is staring at him. And Apollo just shrugs and looks at the floor.

 _I'm just as bad as Aliyah._ Tempo says after a few awkward moments. _I know... I know._ He repeats.

"Oh..." Apollo breathes out as he reads the words.

 _It's okay._ Tempo continues on quickly and for the first time, Apollo's glad he has an excuse to not be looking at his friend. _I'm not... completely... against it. I just... my whole life I've been pushed towards qualifying for The Exemplar. The plan was to win and then Aliyah and I live happily ever after. That's what we were both pushed towards and everything up until now has led to that and I just..._ He sighs scratches at his neck. _I thought that's what I wanted._

Apollo bites his bottom lip. He wants to ask. But he doesn't want to ask. Because he honestly has no idea what the answer will be. Or what he wants the answer to be. But he asks anyways because he can't stop himself. "What do you want, Tempo?"

 _I don't really know._ Tempo answers honestly. _I know what I don't want anymore. I don't want Aliyah. I don't know if I ever really did._ He steps closer and Apollo doesn't move. He doesn't even look up. He keeps his eyes on his translator, waiting for the words and dreading what may come. _But... I've been thinking the past week... since you got hurt... I was so scared when I heard you were in a coma. If I'd been... more aware, I guess... I don't know. I just wish I'd gone with you. I wish I'd been there to stop you from touching the shield._

Apollo shrugs. "I hate that I lost my hearing... there's a lot that I miss hearing... but I don't regret touching the shield. It made me see the truth. And you made me realize I can still play music without my ears..." He shrugs. "I think the sacrifice was worth it."

Tempo stares at him. Apollo can't read his expression. But Tempo still stares. And Apollo can't look away and swallows nervously. He swears he can feel the other man's heart beating again. Tempo opens his mouth and Apollo still doesn't break eye contact. He has no idea what Tempo has said. He's suddenly afraid and he's not entirely sure why. But he's certain the other man must be able to hear his heart beating wildly. Apollo swears he can feel it about beating out of his chest.

_I don't know what I want. But I know I need you._

**Author's Note:**

> I hope someone liked it. But I figure no one will read it because apparently most of the internet hates this show already. XD I agree that it's weird. But I love it!


End file.
